Annabell Fuller, of England, is the lone returning player from GB&I's 2018 Curtis Cup Team. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)
Eight players have been selected for the Great Britain and Ireland team to play the United States of America in the 41st Curtis Cup Match at Conwy, Wales from Aug. 26-28.
The GB&I team will be looking to emulate the winning form of the 2012 and 2016 teams, who were victorious on home soil, as they bid to win back the historic trophy currently held by the USA.
The stage is set for an exciting match as the USA, which has not won on this side of the Atlantic since 2008, will be bidding to retain The Curtis Cup after a decisive 17-3 victory three years ago at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.
The GB&I team is Hannah Darling, Louise Duncan, Annabell Fuller, Charlotte Heath, Caley McGinty, Emily Toy, Lauren Walsh and Annabel Wilson. The travelling reserves are Hazel MacGarvie and Julie McCarthy.
Elaine Ratcliffe, GB&I Captain, said, “It is a great honour to be chosen to represent Great Britain and Ireland and competing in the Curtis Cup is the pinnacle of the amateur game for these players.”
“Home matches have been very successful for GB&I in recent times and this year we have selected a highly skilled and talented team which is focused on winning back the trophy on home soil. I know that they will enjoy the opportunity to compete together and create memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.”
The GB&I Team
Hannah Darling (18, Broomieknowe, Scotland)
Louise Duncan (21, West Kilbride, Scotland)
Annabell Fuller (19, Roehampton, England)
Charlotte Heath (19, Huddersfield, England)
Caley McGinty (20, Knowle, England)
Emily Toy (23, Carlyon Bay, England)
Lauren Walsh (20, Castlewarden, Ireland)
Annabel Wilson (20, Lurgan, Ireland)
Reserves
1. Hazel MacGarvie (21, Royal Troon, Scotland)
2. Julie McCarthy (22, Forrest Little, Ireland)
Captain
Elaine Ratcliffe (48, Essendon Country Club, England)
Player Profiles
Hannah Darling: Darling has enjoyed an exceptional summer of golf including winning the St Rule Trophy, finishing runner-up at the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship, and reaching the quarter-finals of The Women’s Amateur Championship and Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship. She will make her Curtis Cup debut this year but has previously represented GB&I in the Junior Vagliano Trophy and Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup. This year she joins the University of South Carolina.
Louise Duncan: Duncan ended a 24-year drought for Scottish golf by winning this year’s Women’s Amateur Championship at Kimarnock (Barassie) in her debut appearance. She became the first Scot to win since Alison Rose in 1997. She defeated Iceland’s Jóhanna Lea Lúðvíksdóttir by a record 9&8 margin in the 36-hole final. She has previously represented Scotland in the 2019 Home Internationals and the European Girls Championship. She is a Stirling University student majoring in sports studies and an R&A Foundation Scholar.
Annabell Fuller: Fuller makes her second Curtis Cup appearance after representing GB&I in 2018. Since then, she has won the 2020 English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship and in the same year finished runner-up at The Women’s Amateur Championship. She reached the quarter-finals this year. Playing for the University of Florida, she won the 2021 Florida Gators Invitational and recorded a further four top-ten finishes. Was a member of the victorious England team at the 2021 European Ladies’ Team Championship and Home Internationals and has also represented Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup.
Charlotte Heath: The Florida State University student will make her Curtis Cup debut this year. She won the 2020 Australian Amateur Championship and went onto record four top-ten finishes during her 2021 college season. Returning to the UK, she finished fourth at the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship and was a member of the victorious England team at the European Ladies’ Team Championship and Home Internationals.
Caley McGinty: After spending two stellar seasons at Kent State University, where she was a two-time All-American, McGinty has recently transferred to Oklahoma State. In 2020-21, McGinty won the Mid-America Conference Championship, Clemson Invitational and Sunshine Shootout. She was named the 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year as well as the MAC Golfer of the Year. She was a member of the winning England team at the recent European Ladies’ Team Championship and Home Internationals. This will be her first-time representing GB&I in an international match.
Emily Toy: The 2019 Women’s Amateur Champion, Toy reached the semi-finals in her title defence and then the Round of 16 in this year’s championship. She finished runner-up in the 2021 Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship. She was a member of the winning England team at the recent European Ladies’ Team Championship and Home Internationals – this was her fourth time representing her country since 2019. She has previously competed for GB&I in the 2019 Astor Trophy and Vagliano Trophy but this will be her Curtis Cup debut.
Lauren Walsh: A sophomore at Wake Forest, and the highest ranked member of the GB&I team, she recorded three top-10 finishes this season following on from two wins in 2020 at the Sunshine State Amateur and Women’s Griffin Amateur. She finished eighth in 2019 at the ISPS Handa World Invitational on the Ladies’ European Tour. Since 2019 she has represented Ireland on three occasions and was recently a member of the International team at the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Annabel Wilson: A sophomore at UCLA, Wilson recorded three top-ten finishes in 2021 including a runner-up result at the PING/ASU Invitational. She won the 2019 Irish Women’s Close Championship and since then has represented Ireland on three occasions. This will be her first time representing GB&I.
Hazel MacGarvie (Reserve No.1): MacGarvie won three times in 2019, including the St Rule Trophy and two R&A events, the R&A Student Tour Series - Ireland and R&A Student Tour Series – Scotland incorporating the BUCS Golf Tour – Stirling International. In 2021, she has recorded top-ten finishes at the St Rule Trophy and Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship as well as representing Scotland at the European Ladies’ Team Championship.
Julie McCarthy (Reserve No.2): The Auburn University student won the 2019 Clemson Invitational and since then has recorded a further two top-ten results. Has previously represented Ireland at the European Ladies’ Team Championships, GB&I at the Vagliano Trophy and the International team at the Arnold Palmer Cup.